


On Burning Wings

by GraceoftheEvenstar (GreenleafGrace)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Here there be dragons, Inspired by Fanfiction, Living in the Dark Ages is Difficult, Lyrium Poisoning, MCiT, Modern Girl in Thedas, Slow Burn, also dragons, slowest of slow burns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22943272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenleafGrace/pseuds/GraceoftheEvenstar
Summary: Thrown into another world with no knowledge of what the strange green storm in the sky is, Angel struggles to fit in. With no practical skills of how to live in a dark age world, she tries to find a way to make herself useful. All the while hoping to find a way home...
Relationships: Cullen Rutherford/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character/Flissa
Comments: 19
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

She awoke among smoke and ruins, fire blazed around her. Angel tried to push herself to her feet, muscles screaming in protest at the movement. Her throat burned from inhaling the thick, black smoke, eyes watery and smarting. A persistant ringing in her ears covered the crackling of the fires around her. She rubbed at her eyes, desperately trying to piece together where she was, what had happened. She remembered a storm, driving down a deserted road at night. She must of crashed.

The thought of being left for dead on the side of the road gave Angel the strength to get to her feet. She stumbled blindly, the smoke thick in the air, hoping she would find the road. Her foot caught on something, ankle twisting painfully. Angel yelped, falling face first into the dirt. She rubbed at her eyes again, blinking at the thing she'd tripped over. An arm, twisted and blackened. Angel shrieked, scrambling backwards. It was a person, burned almost beyond recognition.

There was more, everywhere she looked, people dead looks of terror forever printed on their faces. It was like a scene from a bad horror movie. Her stomach heaved, she vomited her dinner into the dirt. Movement caught her eye, she turned hoping to see a rescue team. What she saw stopped her heart cold, it was a moving colum of fire. A creature made of flames. It glided towards her, flaming claws out stretched. Angel tried to scream, choking on the smoke. She jerked shakily to her feet, left ankle screaming painfully as she tried to run.

She wasn't fast enough. The fire monster caught up with her, the orbs that passed for eyes glowed with rage. It's hands flared, fire cascaded down around her. Angel might of screaming, she couldn't tell. The last thing she felt were the white hot flames burning her flesh.

***

She awoke once again, in pain. No smoke or corspes or lava monsters. Angel squeezed her eyes closed, shutting out the memory. It was just a terribly vivid dream she told herself. She might of believed that if not for the throbbing pain along her right shoulder and arm. She burned her hands on the stove enough times to recognize the feeling. Taking a deep breathe to steady herself, Angel slowly opened her eyes.

It took her a second to figure out where she was. She'd fully expected to wake up under floresent hospital lights. Angel blinked at the dim sunlight filtering in through the tent flaps. It looked like some sort of field hospital from war documentaries. Cots with other injuried were crammed close together. A few people moved between the narrow aisles, tending to the wounded.

An image of burned bodies flashed behind her eyes. Angel shuddered at the memory, it must have been a really bad accident. It concerned her she didn't remember what happened. She was by no means a medical expert but she was sure that was a bad sign. She tried to sit up, inhaling sharply at the new wave of pain. One of the nurses, or whatever he was came to her side. He spoke, or at least his mouth moved and Angel assumed he was speaking. She couldn't hear him, the realisation hit her hard. She couldn't hear _anything_.

Slowly she raised her hands to her ears, the right side of her face had a thick bandage over it, covering her ear and extending down her neck to her shoulder. Hoping that she was wrong, Angel snapped her fingers beside her ears. Nothing. She could feel the brush of her fingers against the shell of her ear, but no sound. The man touched her arm, a deep frown of concern between his brows. He pointed to his own ears and shook his head, lips forming a question.

Angel wetted her lips and tried to say something, her throat felt cracked and dry. She wasn't sure if she made a noise but the man held up a finger, hurrying off. Taking a deep breath to keep herself from panicking, Angel turned her attention back to her injuries. Carefully she pried up a corner of the bandage on her shoulder, catching a glipse of blistered flesh. The fire monster flared brightly in her vision.

A head injury causing hallucinations that was the logical conclusion. Angel laid her head back, closing her eyes. She needed to find her phone, to text her cousin Ward, let him know she wouldn't be there for his graduation. She wondered how much damage had been done to her car, with any luck it would still be in driving condition.

A tap on her shoulder interupted her thoughts, the man was back with a cup of water. The cup was one of those metal tins used for camping trips, Angel barely noticed as she gulped the cool water down. It was an instant relief for her parched lips and dry throat. A woman sat on the bed beside her, face pinched her in concentration. Angel nearly dropped the cup, blinking rapidly to make sure her vision wasn't playing tricks on her. The woman had plain brown hair pulled back in a severe bun, she would have been ordinary looking if not for her startling large and bright green eyes and the sharply pointed ears. Like a Vulcan or an elf. Angel had a really bad head injury for sure.

The elf woman leaned in to check Angel's ears, brow pinched in concentration. She said something then gestured to Angel's shoulder. Angel shrugged and nodded, she didn't know what else to do. She watched the woman speak to the man, trying to make sense of the words their lips formed. _Toss the smelled gravy and find a purple elephant._ Angel would have to remove lip reading from her list of skills.

The elf didn't seem to concerned with Angel's hearing loss, she handed her a little glass vial filled with brown liquid. Angel peeked at it, wondering what in the world it was. She turned to ask... they already walked off. What if her hearing loss was permanent? It would make playing video games a little harder, watching movies less enjoyable. She needed to find a doctor, maybe that elf looking woman was the doctor.

She swung her legs out from under the scratchy blanket, moving slow so she didn't aggrevate any injuries. Her barefeet hit the cold ground, she realized she wasn't wearing her clothes. She was wearing a plain brown... well it couldn't even be called a dress. It was more like someone had found an old cloth sack and cut holes into it for her arms and neck. It worked for a hospital gown.

Angel carefully threaded her way between the cots, trying not to look to closely at the injuried. Her stomach was feeling a bit tender, she didn't want to risk seeing something that might upset it further. She slipped out of the tent, cold air brushing against her skin. She shivered, wrapping her arms aound herself. A man walked passed her and Angel's jaw dropped. He was dressed in a metal plate, the emblem of a sun and sword painted on the center. A sword was strapped to his waist like an elborate cosplayer.

There was more like him, everywhere she looked. Off to her right, near a tall wooden fence a couple dozen heavily armoured cosplayers practised sword fighting. Only this wasn't the slow, choragraphed movements of a play. It was real broadsword fighting, with real swords and shields. Entranced, Angel moved closer to watch, barely registering the cold muddy ground beneath her feet.

A bright flash of lightning, lit the sky for a brief second. Everyone seemed to stop for a hearbeat, glancing up to the western sky. Angel followed their gaze, _what the friggin fudge balls is that!?_ A green tornado swirled high over snow covered mountains, fixed at a solitary point. Angel stared, mouth hanging open in shock. _Where in the world am I?_

Something touched her shoulder, and Angel's feet left the ground. She probably screamed really loudly if the looks people threw her way were any indication. Heart thumping widely in her chest, she whirled around to face that man again. He was about fourty years, with short brown hair that needed a wash. There was a kindness to his face, something that made Angel inclined to trust him.

He smiled apologetically, holding up a piece of thick, yellow paper with chicken scratches on it. Writing, Angel assumed, but if it was writing it wasn't anything she'd ever seen before. It sort of looked like old nordic runes. He arched a questioning eyebrow at her, gesturing to the paper. Oohhh, he was asking if she could read it. That would have been a good way to communicate, if it had been written in English or at least with the same alphabet.

Angel shrugged, shaking her head. The man looked confused at first, but quickly turned embarrassed. He smiled sheepishly, speaking rapidly. He gestured to her face then his, running a hand along his cheek up to his hair. Angel blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Something about her face and hair? She'd always been really bad at charades.

She pointed up to the tornado, forcing words out of her scratchy throat. _'What is that?'_ She asked. She must of butchered the prounciation because he gave her a weird look. Angel bit back a frustrated sigh, resigning herself to hand gestures. She pointed at the storm again, trying to convey a look of questions.

The man, Angel decided to name him Charles, patted her uninjuried should reassuringly. He pointed to the town behind the wooden fence, then up at the storm. Miming an angry face he shook his fist at the storm, then pointed at his left hand, then once again at the town. Charles seemed to think that was perfectly clear, he patted her shoulder again, a thin hopeful smile spreading across his lips.

Angel tried to return the smile, heart sinking to her toes. She touched his arm, getting his attention then touched her ears. Charles gave her a sad smile and shook his head, the first gesture he'd done that made any sense. There was nothing to be done about her hearing. He left her alone, shivering in the cold. Angel closed her eyes for a second, drawing in a deep breath. One of two things were happening, One: Angel was unconsciense in a hospital bed, having a vivid dream or Two: She was some how transported to another world. A place with elves and fire monsters, swords and weird tornadoes.

That last option was impossible. So Angel just had to find a way to wake up, and once she did, she would be able to hear again. Unless her brain was subconciously telling her some thing was wrong with her ears. A cold gust of wind slipped though Angel's thin dress. She shivered again, heading back to the tent. She slipped back into her cot, pulling the blanket over her head, determined to fall asleep. Maybe, if she was very lucky, when she next woke it would be in the real world.

She laid there for hours, eyes tightly closed. Doctor Elf Woman disturbed her twice, once to force the weird brown liquid down her throat, the other to clean her wounds. Charles came by near dark with soup, it was mostly broth with a few chunks of dark, gamey meat. But it was warm and Angel gulped it down greedily. She fell asleep eventually, dreaming vividly of a feirce storm and lava monsters.

She woke the next morning with Doctor Elf Woman removing her bandages. Angel was astonished to see how much better her burns were in just one day. Her skin was only a little pink, and no longer painful. Angel didn't protest this time when Doctor Elf gave her more of that brown stuff to drink. It was apparently some sort of miracle heal, unfortunately it didn't seem to be helping with her hearing.

She was mildy disppointed to find herself still in this mideval world, Angel hadn't really believed she would wake up back in the real world. She needed a bathroom, she hadn't gone at all yesterday. Angel pulled the blanket over her shoulders, wrapping it around her like a cloak. She tapped Doctor Elf's arm before she could leave, words scraping out of her throat. Angel could feel the vibration in her throat, even if she couldn't hear the sounds themselves. “Where is the bathroom?” Doctor Elf gave her the same strange look Charles had. _Duh!_ Different world, different written language. They probably didn't speak English. That was going to complicate matters further. Angel shook her head at the Doctor's questioning expression, she tapped her throat and shrugged. Doctor Elf touched Angel's throat, peeked into her mouth, then gave a helpless shrug. She wandered off to help other patients.

Angel sighed, there was no use lamenting her helpless state. Right now she needed to pee. Snuggling deep in the blanket, she headed out of the tent, wondering where she might find a bathroom. Or more likely outhouses. Angel wrinkled her nose, this was going to be disgusting. She started towards the outskirts of the town. A frozen lake glistened brightly in the morning sun, reflecting the green of the storm above.

She stopped just outside the ring of tents, eyeing the snowy ground. Around the town the snow had been cleared, ground packed hard by trampling feet. Away from it the snow piled high on the beautiful country landscape, pine trees heavy with the white fluff. Angel shifted from one cold foot to the other, she'd always wanted to leave the city and live in the mountains. Maybe this was some sort of wish come true in a seriously twisted way.

She spotted a soldier moving down a small path to the shacks a good distants from the town and the lake. She figured those must be the outhouses. She walked quickly towards it, her feet were already starting to freeze. The smell hit her about half way there, Angel very nearly changed her mind about going that way. Pulling the blanket up over her nose she staggered in. She was pleasantly surprised to find a water trough outside the outhouse for hand washing. A gritty black scrub in place of soap, Angel would take it over nothing.

Throughly frozen, Angel ran back to the medical tent. Her bed was occupied by a man with a bleeding wound in his thigh. Charles touched her arm, an aplogetic smile on his face. He pointed up at the sky and then made claws with his hands. The man was attacked by a sky monster? That made total sense. Angel smiled back and nodded her understanding.

Angel wasn't injuried anymore, the man needed the bed more then her. She slipped back outside, trying to fight a raising sense of panic. She was in a strange place, among strange people with no way to communicate with them. She didn't know how to ask for help, how to explain where she was from. If this place was as mideval as it looked, Angel would be all but useless here.

She should head into town see what she could see, but first: shoes. Her shoes and clothes had to be around here some where. For now if she could find some thing sharp she could tear bits of the blanket to wrap around her feet. Angel ducked back into the tent, Docter Elf and Charles were busy attending to the injuried man. She glanced around looking for... there! A table full of sharp instruments. They looked clean and she hoped they were smart enough to sanatize the various knives and other tools before use.

She cut two lengths of cloth out of the blanket, tying them around her feet. They wouldn't stay up, with one step Angel could tell her make shift shoes would come untied. Gnawing at her lower lip, she quickly cut long ways along the blanket, making two long ribbons. She put the middle of the ribbon under the ball of her foot, crisscrossing the threads over the top of her foot then back underneath her heel. Wrapped the ribbon around her ankle twice, tied a secure knot then crisscrossed what was left of the ribbon up her leg, tying it off mid calf.

She stomped her foot, satisied it would hold. It wouldn't protect much against the cold but aslong as she didn't step directly into the snow it would be fine. Provided she could find her real shoes sometime soon. Angel cut one more long ribbon from the blanket, this time using it as a belt to tie the sack dress to her waist. She now had half a blanket left, which she draped over her shoulder like a shaw. She probably looked ridiculous.

Satisfied, Angel once more left the tent, braving the cold she hurried through the open gate of the town. There were people everywhere, bustling about or huddled over fires. Most of them wore clothes as shabby and worn as Angel's hastily put together outfit. _At least I won't stand out._ There were several soldiers wearing the heavy metal armour with the sword and sun symbol. On closer inspection Angel thought it might have been an eye wreathed in flame instead of a sun. _Like Sauron from Lord of the Rings._

A woman in a different type of armour walked past, the symbol on her chest piece was a red sword pointed up, red lines indicating fire surrounding it. There were a few soldiers who wore the heavy armour with the sword symbol, maybe they were the Captains and Generals?

The scent of food drifted on the wind, Angel's stomach gurgled, reminding her she hadn't eaten yet. She followed the smell to a building not far from the gates, the warmth of a fire touched her as soon as she opened the door. She hurried over to the fireplace, stretching her arms out to soak up its warmth. It felt glorious, Angel glanced over her shoulder taking in the one roomed building. It looked like a little restraunt, finely crafted wooden tables and chairs took up most of the space.

To the left was a bar counter, shelves full of glass bottles lined the walls. A sweet looking woman poured a drink for a short, stocky man with a full beard. _A dwarf._ Angel smiled to herself, if there were elves why not dwarves too. There was a small room behind the counter, another fireplace glowing brightly, it was from there the smell of food was coming.

She wondered over to the counter, earning a bright smile from the woman. The woman asked something, Angel pointed to her ears and shook her head. A look of shocked concern fell over the woman's face, she pointed up at the sky in the direction of the storm. Angel nodded, unsure what the storm had to do with hearing loss. It was easy to go with then trying to mime a car crash.

Speaking of miming, Angel pointed to fire where a cast iron pot hung and then mimed eating. The woman smiled again, grabbing a wooden bowl from underneath the counter, she filled it to the brim with delicious smelling soup. Handing it to Angel with a too kind look. Angel frowned, was it that easy to get food? She didn't want payment for it?

She mimed checking her pockets for money, then held up both empty hands and shrugged. The woman tiltled her head to the side, asking a question. Angel let out a frustrated sigh, this was going to get annoying real fast. The woman seemed to catch on after thinking about for a second, she held up a small silver coin. Angel grinned, pointed to herself then shook her head. The woman waved her hand in a _forget about_ gesture.

Uneasily, Angel settled down on the bar stool, taking a quick sip of the soup. It was delicious, the potatoes were boiled to perfection and perfectly salted. The meat was the same dark, gamey meat as the soup she had yesterday. Angel didn't recognize its flavor, maybe it was deer? She slirped it all down, her empty stomach glad to be filled. She scrapped every last bit from the bowl, licking the wooden spoon afterwards.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, grinning sheepishly when the woman took the bowl. The woman, Angel chose the name Sweetie for her, pointed at the stew pot then at Angel's empty bowl. Angel raised her eyebrows, Sweetie was asking if she wanted more, even though she knew Angel didn't have any money?

Angel shook her head, she didn't want to take advantage of the woman's kindness. Though she did need to find a way to make money so she could eat. Or she could work for food. Angel rapped her knuckles on the counter to get the Sweetie's attention. She mimed wiping the counter down and sweeping the floor, then eating again, pointing lastly to herself.

Sweetie nodded rapidly, gesturing for Angel to follow her to the room in the back. Angel hurried around the counter, glad that her terrible miming was understood. The back room was narrow, but long. To the right of the fireplace was long table piled high with fresh vegetables, cheese wheels and raw bread dough. Shelves filled with other cooking ingrediants lined the walls, drying herbs hung from hooks on the ceiling. In the far right corner two huge barrels took up the rest of the space.

On the opposite side of the room the shelves were lined with dishes, two big buckets for washing sat on a rickety wooden table. There were dishes that needed to be washing, Sweetie pointed to them a question on face. Angel could do dishes, she had a job at a diner doing just that in high school. Sweetie picked up a tin bucket from the floor, gesturing once more for Angel to follow her. To the door of the bar this time, she pointed down to the lake then to the bucket, then back to the dish room.

Angel nodded her understanding, she'd have to haul the water herself. _Well, I've been meaning to start working out._ This would be a great way to build muscle, _positive thoughts Angel._ She had one last question for the kind woman, Angel tilted her head to the side, tucking her hands under her cheek. She closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Sweetie nodded, going to the back room again, she pointed to the corner with the barrels. Angel smiled, trying to convey all the thanks she felt in. Well she had a place to sleep and food to eat, it was good enough until Angel figured where she was and how to get home. And _hopefully_ get her damaged hearing repaired. Taking a shaky breathe Angel rolled up her sleeves and got to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Sweetie woke Angel before the sun was up. She got her first lesson of living in a mideval world before she could blink the sleep out of her eyes. Lighting the fire was the first task of the morning and it was way harder than it had any right to be. She followed Sweetie outside to haul in wood and kindling, then spent at least ten minutes trying to light it. The flint set was a flat rock and small metal pin, scrapping the pin over the rock caused a spark. The tricky part was getting the spark to hit the hay just right and catch fire. Once the hay caught fire, it took another ten minutes of slowly feeding it dried twigs before they could add a log to it.

When they finally got it going Sweetie mimed sleeping, then waking up, poking at the fire and then going back to sleep. Angel nodded, remorse filled for letting the fire go out in the night. The next order of business was hauling a bucket of water up from the lake. Angel took the metal bucket out into the predawn hours. The green storm in the sky cast enough light it was easy to see where she was going. Near the rickety wooden dock a large patch of ice had been cut away for the workers to easily fill their buckets.

Angel wasn't the only one doing chores that early. There was about ten others, waiting in line to dip their buckets into the water. Angel noticed she was the only human among them, the rest were elves. Angel dipped her bucket into the fridged water, being super careful not to spill a single drop on the way back. She wondered if they drink this water too, it looked clean but who knows how santary it was. She decided not to think about it, hurrying back to Sweetie's Bar, eager to be out of the cold.

Her next lesson was bread making, Angel never did like cooking, and within the next couple of hours she learned to hate it. Assembling the ingrediants was simple enough, flour and water was the main thing to worry about. It was the kneading the dough that she hated, it was hard grueling work. Sweetie kept making more, and more and more. Once the raw dough was throughly worked and rolled and kneaded, they stuck it in a bowl covering it with a cheese cloth to rise. Angel stuck those on the shelf, taking down the dough from yesterday and putting into the cookstove.

The cook stove was a little metal box with a door in the right hand corner of the firplace. It could only fit one loaf of bread at a time. That seemed fine with Sweetie, she left it to bake, moving on to something much more normal while Angel contined to work the dough with her fingers. Sweetie pulled out a bastet full of eggs, cracking them into a frying pan. She placed a metal rack over the fire, putting the frying pan on the rack.

A man came in with a bucket full of thick, off white liquid, Angel wondered what the heck that was. Sweetie jabbered excitedly at the man then gestured for Angel to follow him. Wiping her hands on her make shift apron, which was another square cut out of the blanket, Angel abandoned her dough to follow the man outside. He was kinda ugly, with a broken nose and a lazy eye. She did not like the way he gave a her an apprectiative once over. Maybe she should start carrying around some pepper spray just to be safe.

He lead her back down to the lake, the sun was climbing the eastern sky, spreading its bright orange light over the valley. To the right of the docks, near a bored looking soldier another hole had been cut into the ice. A large metal tub covered by a linen cloth floated in the water, tethered by two poles on the shore. Ugly Face said something to the soldier, kneeling by the tub he pulled the cloth off.

Angel peeked inside, it was filled with frozen chunks of raw meat, wrapped in soft leather cloths. An old fashion fridge, _clever!_ Ugly Face bent and picked out two packages, handing them to Angel. He made a _go away_ gesture with his fingers. Angel wrapped the frozen meat in her apron and ran back to the bar. This place wasn't so bad if they knew things like needing to keep food cold and to wash hands after using the bathroom. Maybe someone could fix her hearing after all.

Sweetie put one package of meat aside, the other she cut in thin peices like ham. She fried the thin pieces on top of the cookstove's metal surface. Serving the meat and scrabbled eggs to her customers. Angel got to eat a little bit before going back to the dough. She kneaded the raw dough for hours, fingers and hands cramping painfully. She finally put the last bowl of dough on the shelf around noon. Her work was only half way done, though.

The breakfast dishes had piled up, Angel almost cried at the thought of hauling in water. Trying to think happy thoughts, she headed out to the lake with the bucket. It took her six trips to fill the wash bucket, then she realized she made the mistake of not heating the water first. Taking a deep breathe to keep her frustration in, she transported the water back into the bucket and hung it over the fire. Next to the bucket of liquid Ugly Face had brought, it took Angel an embarassing long time to figure out what it was. _Milk._ Sweetie had filled a wooden bowl with the liquid and left it on the counter to make butter and cheese with, then she put the bucket on to boil.

Angel waited patiently for her water to heat up, taking the time to massage the tightening muscles in her arms. Half a day of work and she was already aching, her shoulders and lower back where starting to throb too. She let the water reach a roiling boil, which happened much faster than an electric stove. Her arms screamed in protest when she poured it into the wash basin. One bucket of boiling water heated up the five buckets of cold water well enough, maybe still a little too cold. She made a mental note to heat the first two buckets next time. She set to scrubbing the dishes with a harsh, scentless soap.

She use to listen to music while doing dishes and cleaning her little one bedroomed apartment. She still needed to find her shoes, and hopefully her phone would be with them. There was no break time in this bar, as soon as Angel finished the dishes it was time to start cooking dinner. Sweetie was a patient teacher, showing her how to chop the raw meat into small bits for stew. It felt gross, there was reason Angel always bought precooked meat. Ok, truthfully it was because she was too lazy to cook a nice dinner after work.

She tried not to think about the meat carrying something nasty in it, scrubbing her hands raw with soap just to be on the safe side. It made her feel better that Sweetie did the same thing after touching the raw meat, and she cooked it thoughly before adding it to the stew pot. That made Angel feel a lot better. One thing Sweetie did that confused Angel was put all the fat she chopped off the meat into a small metal bowl, putting it over the fire.

While the stew bubbled, Sweetie taught her how to clean the ashes out of the fireplace. Angel collected the ashes from both fireplaces into a bucket, returning to the kitchen to see Sweetie carefully draining the meat grease into the bowl of melted fat. Sweetie handed the bowl to her, pointing at the bucket of ashes then gesturing off somewhere else.

Confused, Angel gave her little shrug. Sweetie held up a finger to wait, ducking her head out the of the kitchen. Angel peeked out too, curious to see what she was doing. A young elf boy, no more than ten skipped over to talk with Sweetie. Angel watched them chat for a few minutes, the elf's grey eyes darting over to Angel a look of peer curiousity on his face.

He grinned brightly and waved for Angel to follow him. With affirmation from Sweetie, Angel did just that, taking the ashes and fat with her. Her cloth shoes offered little protection from the cold ground, _better than nothing_ she told herself. The elf was scrawny, all bones and long limbs, his nose and eyes were much to large for his narrow face. Angel named him Chipmunk. She wondered of anyone had named her in their mind, or if she was just the deaf girl.

Chipmunk led her deeper into the town, heading up hill to the largest building at the top. It was quite well made, sturdier and older looking then the rest of the town. Chipmunk struggled to shove the heavy wooden door open, leading Angel into the grand building. It was a bit dark, lit by candles stuck on top of tall metal candlabras. Chipmunk headed straight for two woman talking near the back of main room.

The one that grabbed Angel's attention wore an elaborate red and white dress, a large fancy headress covered her hair and most of her face. She was looked like a very colorful nun. Her face was kind and wrinkled, motherly affection crinkled her eyes. The second woman was another elf, Angel almost didn't look at her too shocked to see the grand dress when all she had seen was worn out sacks like her own dress.

The elf wore a nice blue robe, a sunburst tatooed on her forehead. The fancy nun was listening to Chipmunk talk, she smiled kindly at Angel, reaching for the ashes and melted fat. She spoke, saying something that might have been a thanks. Angel nodded mutely, relquishing her possessions. She was still curious about why anyone needed ashes and fat but she wanted to go back to the comfort of the kitchen.

She extracted herself from the excitable Chipmunk, running back to the little room behind the bar. She was only to happy to through herself back into her work. There was more dishes to do, which lead to another exhausting water hauling adventure. The bar started to fill up as the sun set, Angel ran back and forth between making more stew and the dishes.

Once the sun dipped below the horizon people became more interested in drinking rather than eating. They had a whole pot of stew left, and a couple loaves of bread. Angel and Sweetie ate their fill and then Chipmunk was called on once again to show Angel what to do with the leftovers. He happily took the bucket of stew, assigning her to carry the bread with an air of authority. If it made him feel better, Angel was happy to let the boy be in charge.

They went down hill this time, outside the town gates to where the soldiers were camped. Angel handed the loaves to an excited looking young man, he tore the bread into chunks passing them out to his fellows. The leftover stew was just as quickly divided up and devoured. She watched the soldiers scarf down the food, most them were boys, between the ages of sixteen and twenty five.

A hard sense of loneliness settled over her as she trudged back to the Bar. Everywhere she looked people were talking and having a good time. Angel was alone in this strange place with no way to communicate or ask how to get home. She just wanted to be back in her tiny apartment, with her computer on and gamer chat up. Only one day had passed and she was already tired of this frozen mideval world with weird green storms and lava monsters. She made up her mind to find time to herself tomorrow and hopefully find some answers.

***

Her chance never came, Angel worked from predawn to well after sunset. Never having a moment to look for answers, or her shoes and phone. She wasn't sure how many days passed, four or five going by how unclean her hair was starting to feel. She finally couldn't stand the feeling of not bathing anymore. Once all her work was done for the night Angel took the bucket down to the lake, filling it to the brim, her arm muscles screamed at her for overworking them.

She ached everywhere, her arms, legs, back, hips. The hard wooden floor she slept on every night doing nothing to improve her situation. The thin mountain air didn't help her any either, she often had to stop and catch her breathe, lungs working over time to supply her with enough oxygen. With any luck Angel would get use to the mountain air soon. While Angel lived in the flat midwest she had a friend from the Colorado rockies. The first time Angel spent a week in the mountains, she got 'altitude sickness'. This time she knew to drink plenty of water, which helped stave off the worst of the effects.

She waited patiently for her bucket of water to heat over the fire. She wondered where Sweetie stayed at night, probably had her own home to go to. So many question crowded Angel's mind, why did Sweetie let her stay and eat in the bar? If only she knew what was going on. What was the green tornado that never moved? Who were these people and what were the soldiers fighting? And always the most pressing, how could she get home?

Angel double checked the bar was empty before stripping out of her dress. It would be nice to have some under clothes instead walking around feeling half naked. She used the dish soap and a worn rag to throughly scrub herself clean, dunking her head in the bucket to wash her hair. It wasn't as good as a nice hot shower but she felt much better. Wringing her dark curls out, she sat by the fire to dry. Her eyes drooped as she stared at the crackling wood, Angel was exhausted, mentally and physically.

She hadn't been getting much sleep, between sleeping on the floor and her vivid dreams. Angel always had weird dreams, her over active imagination coming up with the craziest stories in her sleep. But the last couple nights they had been more vivid than ever, almost seeming real. She didn't know she was dreaming until she woke up. It left her feeling drained and as if she hadn't gotten enough rest.

Morning came before she was ready to face it. Angel moved like a zombie through the day, working tirelessly to knead the dough. Trying to ignore her aches and pains was almost impossible, as she moved from one task to another. She fell into a routine of kneading bread, hauling water, washing dishes, cooking supper. Sweetie was always very kind but Angel felt lonier as the days went on. She couldn't make any sense of lip reading, which only further comfired that they spoke a different language. And she couldn't figure out the alphabet in which they wrote.

The first slow afternoon the Bar had, Angel finally found time to look for answers. She tracked down Charlies and tried to ask about shoes, or where she had come from. The hand gestures were slow and difficult, the nurse had very little answers to offer her. Angel lost track of days, her muscles grew strong and a trek to the lake and back didn't leave her breathless anymore. She rarely left the bar but more and more people showed up, the small town near to bursting with humans, elves and dwarves.

Angel tried to stay clean, she washed with the bucket of water every night, cleaned her hair when it started looking dingy. She only had the one dress and it soon started to smell. She needed more clothes. In her morning walks to the lake she had seen what looked like a merchant. She had no money to buy anything and she hated to ask Sweetie for money.

The old sack dress wasn't going to last much longer anyway. It was either ask for money or make a deal with the merchant. Angel didn't have time to work for the merchant, with the bar getting busier every day. While eating a quick supper with Sweetie, Angel made up her mind to ask. It took a few tries to get what she was trying to say across. The kind bar owner's hands flew to her mouth when she finally understood, she nodded emphatically seeming to apologize for not realizing sooner.

Sweetie gave her a gold coin and a note, sending her to the merchant right away. Angel hurried through town, feeling the first spark of excitement she'd felt since arriving in this world. She presented the note to the merchant who scowled at her. His distain for her was obvious, though Angel couldn't fathom why. He took the money in exchange for a pair of sturdy boots and wool socks, leggings, a skirt, two shirts, and blessedly, two pairs of underwear and a strapless bra.

Angel eagerly stuffed her feet into the shoes, grinning happily she ran back to the bar. Showing off her new clothes to Sweetie. She wrapped the kind woman in a hug, squeezing her tightly. Maybe it was silly to be so excited over a few pieces of cloth, but to Angel it felt like Christmas. She quickly dressed, wearing the leggings and a grey shirt. She cheerfully went back to work, feeling like a whole new person.

She started humming, until the sharp reminder of not be able to hear threatened to crash her good mood. Angel tried not lament her hearing loss, when she got back home the doctors of her world could fix it. Still every time she caught a glimpse of the minstral strumming her lute in the main room, it was like a knife to Angel's heart. She was no closer to figuring out where she was or how she got here than she had been a week ago. She really needed a day off to figure out what was going on.

Sweetie was really nice, maybe she would let Angel have a few hours. Though that would leave the woman to run the busy tavern all alone. Angel would just have to poke around at night, its not like she got much sleep anyway. With her new idea firmly planted in her mind, Angel's day stretched on forever. It felt longer than normal for night to fall and the countless hours of the bar's customers to finally drift off to bed.

Sweetie locked up and left as usually, leaving Angel on her own. She draped her blanket shaw around her shoulders, slipping quietly into the night. She hesitated at the door, where to even look first? She picked a random street and started walking, on the look for... Angel didn't really know what to look for. Her car? A magic wardrobe? A glowing arrow pointing the way home?

The town was small and easy to navigate. She passed few others, almost everyone had gone to bed already. Angel walked methodically, alert for anything that screamed of home. How she wished she could just ask. She searched the town inside the gates twice before returning to the bar. Curling up in her little corner, she tried not to feel too disappoined. Tomorrow night she would check outside the gates, if that yeilded nothing then she would go up the mountain to checkout the green storm. Perhaps it was a magic tornado like from the Wizard of Oz. _I sure ain't in Kansas anymore._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ashes and meat fat are used to make soap. I was reading about it the other day and I thought it was so weird and fascinating how we use to make things like soap and butter.


	3. Chapter 3

The next night yeilded no results either. The town outside the gates was more crowded then inside. Tents were thrown up everywhere, sandwiched together and taking up every available space. Angel wandered around uselessly before ending her search at the frozen lake. The ice reflected the storm high above, green light shimmering on its glassy surface.

It was beautiful and serene. And lonely. Angel wrapped her arms around herself, desperate for some comfort. She missed hearing, and playing games and listening to music. She missed conversation and joking and laughing with her friends. Keeping herself busy with the hard work in the bar helped keep her from getting over welmed by her loneliness. But that could only keep it at bay for so long. How long had Angel been in this world? Two, almost three weeks now?

What was happening back home? Were her co workers and friends missing her? She wondered if her family had noticed she was gone yet, she wasn't particularily close to them. Angel's parents died when she only eight, her aunt and uncle had raised her, they were good people but they were different, and work obsessed.

Her eyes prickled with tears, she would happily spend a day with them if it meant she got to hear again and go home. She hadn't cried once in the time she'd been here. Angel hugged herself tighter, letting the tears fall. As child she would of loved to find herself in another world. She always thought it would be like different, somewhere she understood the language and got to be in the center of the story. Here she was nothing and no one, all alone among strangers with no inkling of what was going on. To be fair she was nothing and no one at home too, but at least she wasn't alone and she was happy. She dried her tears, determined not to let herself wallow in self pity. The storm was high up the mountain, it would take more than a few hours to get up there. Angel would have to ask for a day off, Sweetie was a kind lady, she would probably give her one day. Angel went to bed looking forward to maybe finding some answers. She curled up under her tattered little blanket, falling fast asleep.

Angel woke in a different place, a courtyard of crumbled stone, vines growing wild over the wall. She heard a scratching, scrapping noise behind her. Heart thumping with excitement, Angel spun around. She _heard it!_ Her heart sank back into her toes when she spotted what was making the noise. It was a giant squirrel, he was trying to bury his acorn in the hard stone floor.

She was just dreaming. Angel sighed, maybe she should be happy that her dreams let her hear things. She sat down on the hard floor to watch the large squirrel scratch hopelessly at the stone. Why did her mind conjure such weird things for her to dream about? Though it was only since coming to this world that she mistaken her dreams for the real world.

Only very briefly though, Angel always thought she was awake until something weird popped in and then realized she was dreaming. Maybe there was something in the water, or she was slowly going crazy. That was a new theory, maybe Angel had gone insane and was in some type of mental hospital. She could be confusing real life with whatever world this was. Somehow she doubted that.

She woke for real about the time the squirrel realized it couldn't burry its acorn in the stone. She was really awake now, she could tell that. In her dreams Angel felt awake, until she woke up, then it felt like a normal dream. She scratched her nails on the wooden planks, just to be sure her hearing hadn't magically come back. No such luck.

She dragged herself up and got on with her day, back to the work that never ended. Angel was getting better at the work, but she seemed to be developing a problem with the dishes. Her hands were dried out, the skin raw and cracking. She thought it might be from the harsh, gritty soap she used to clean. Come to think of it her hair had seen better days, the curls almost unmangable now and it lost any silky shine it once had. She made a bandana out of one of her old clothe shoes, tucking her hair under it to keep it out of her face.

Negotiating a day off with Sweetie was almost impossible, it took a lot of wild hand gestures and guess work. Finally she got the message across, and then Angel had to wait another three days for her trip up the mountain. She got up at her normal time, eager to be off on her trip. She prayed to whatever god might exist in this world that she would find some answers.

Angel packed a little bread and water for her journey. She started out with a spring in her step and hope in her heart. She would find a way home, she knew she would. Angel thought the weeks of hard physical work might of put her in shape for the hike. It did not. She was ready to collaspe after an hour. _This will teach me to skip out on the gym._ She allowed herself a few minutes rest before getting back to it.

She reached a ruin by midday, the storm so close she could almost touch it. Angel gazed in shock about the ruins, it looked like a bomb had gone off. The blast point scattering away from the storm. Whatever had happened here had melted solid stone. Magic maybe? Angel had seen no evidence of magic so far. Except for that magical healing juice Doctor Elf gave her. She barely stepped foot outside Sweetie's Bar, so this world could have flying pigs and she wouldn't of noticed.

She moved further into the ruins, closer to the small funnel cloud. Angel stopped at a balcony over looking the remains of a courtyard. There the fixed point of the storm ended at a glowing ball of green flame. _What in the world is this?_ Angel moved along the balcony, fascinated by the anomally. The green light reflected all around her, whatever had caused this had been hot enough to turn the stone to glass.

Large red crystal formations added to the otherworldly appearance. Angel stopped beside one formation, it glowed, little wisps of red smoke emmiting from the crystals. She had been expecting to find something here, but this... This was stranger than anything her crazy mind could come up with. Curious, she reached out to touch the crystals, surprised to feel they gave off a slight warmth. White hot pain burned through her hand, she yelped, yanking her fingers back. She barely touched the crystal but it felt like she stuck her hand in acid, her fingers blistered and burned. Angel backed away from the crystal, this place was just plain _weird._

 _No more touching stuff._ She still needed to look around for any sign of how she got here. She moved on, keeping her hands to herself. The only thing close to a portal she saw was the glowing green fire in the sky. Angel tried to walk through it, it was like touching a spider web. Soft and silky at first and then _bam!_ She hit an invisible wall and was violently thrown back. If it was a portal to another world, it was closed from this side. Angel searched through the ruins for clues until the sun began to drop behind the mountain.

Wearily she trudged back down the mountain. Of course going home wouldn't be that simple. What if there was no way back? Angel might be stuck in a soundless, technologyless world forever. She would never take indoor plumbing for granted again. It was well after night fall by the time she got back to town. Dejected, she stood by the lake, once again overwelmed by loneliness.

She closed her eyes, gnawing at her lower lip, trying not to worry. If Angel couldn't go back what was she to do? Would she be happy working in the bar for the rest of her life? She just figured out what she wanted to do with her life back home. After three years of working fast food, another two years of general education classes, Angel had finaly decided on a career to pursue.

She would have been starting her fourth year in the fall, and now she was stuck in a world that had yet to invent gas lamps. Angel face planted into her open palms, tears spilling down her cheeks. She was terrible at making life altering decisions, she didn't want to have to go through all that again. She wouldn't be good at anything in this world anyway. Angel knew nothing of farming or fighting or whatever people did for a career around here.

A hand abruptly grabbed her shoulder. Angel startled, cursing her senses for not being better at detecting people. She recognized the man, a tall dark haired soldier who frequented the bar. He was always flirting with Sweetie, making her blush every time he came in to drink. She duped him Charming for that reason.

Charming smiled, apologetic for startling her. Concern knitting his brows together, he put a hand on her arm, eyes wide with worry. Angel wiped her tears away, trying to convey thanks for his concern with her eyes and smile. It was late, she had to work tomorrow, she should get some sleep. Angel turned away, but Charming caught her hand before she could leave.

He grinned and gestured toward the lake. Angel stared at him blankly and he tugged on her hand to follow him to the docks. Angel was tired, bones aching from her hike but.... she did want some companionship. Reluctantly she let Charming lead her to the docks, he opened a wooden chest nestled among fishing gear. He rifled through it, flashing Angel a dazzling grin when he fished out the strangest looking contraption she'd ever seen.

It was a sharpened piece of bone tied on a long leather cord. He bent and tied the bone to the bottom of his shoe, stepping out onto the ice. _Ice skates!_ Angel watched delighted, as Charming glided in a circle across the ice. He slid back over to her, pulling out two more of the bone skates from the chest, making a questioning gesture.

Angel nodded enthusiastically, sitting on the edge of the pier, letting Charming tie the bones to her shoes. He gave her another of his brilliant grins, helping her down onto the ice. Carefully Angel slid one foot forward, she hadn't been ice skating in years. She moved her other foot, wobbling ungracefully on the skates. Charming offered her his arm, Angel gladly accepted, glad for the support.

They glided slowly across the lake, Charming helping her gain her balance and confidence. Angel knew she was giggling, the sadness of not hearing her laughs or their skates swooshing across the ice, was nothing compared to the joy. She dared to go faster, holding Charming's hand as they swooped in a wide circle. Her skate hit a rough patch of ice, she pitched forward, arms flailing. Charming tripped over her legs and they both went down in a heap.

Angel sprawled across the ice, laughing joyously. Charming was laughing too, she could feel his shoulders shaking from where he'd landed on top of her legs. He helped her clumsily back to her feet and to the shore. Angel needed to go bed, dawn was drawing near. She grasped Charming's hand, _thank you,_ she hoped her eyes were enough to covey the gratitude she felt. She needed something fun to save her from her own self pity.

Charming smiled, booping her nose like she was a child. Angel swatted feeble at his hand, not minding in the slightest. She waved good bye, skipping along the path to her little room in the back of the bar. Perhaps there was hope for her to have a good life in this world. She dreamt of her ice skating adventure, imagining friends from home swooping across the ice with her.

She greeted Sweetie in the morning with a thousand yard smile, happily humming to herself as she kneaded the dough. Her fingers had blistered from the crystal, she cleaned and bandaged her hand, determined not to let a little burn spoil her day. Though it seemed her day was going to get spoiled without her permission. A little afternoon her stomach started to hurt, accompanied by a slight nausea. It was only a slight discomfort, easily ignored.

Charming came by near closing time, flirting helplessly with Sweetie, sparing a few winks and knowing grins for Angel too. Sweetie shooed him out with a broom, cheeks a pleasant pink. Angel smiled to herself as she wiped down the tables. Sweetie was adorable and kind, she deserved to have the attentions of a nice guy. If Charming was going to be flirty with Angel too... well Angel was no great beauty. Especially not these days without products to tame her wild curls and no make up to even out her complextion. Of course that was no reason to think Charming wasn't a nice guy.

Sweetie was all shy smiles and blushes as they cleaned the tables and overturned the chairs. Angel hugged her goodnight, hoping the kind woman might get a little romance in her life. Angel grabbed the bucket and headed down to the lake to retrieve water for her evening wash. A small crowd had gathered around the west end of the lake, a group of five or six children. They were out on the ice, Angel paused, something looked wrong.

One of the children took off towards town, arms waving and possible screaming. Another of the kids saw her, running towards her. It was Chipmunk, he looked panicked, grabbing her arm he dragged her over to the group. They were gathered around a hole in the ice, the edges broken and jagged. In the center of the pool a scarf floated in the waves.

Chipmunk was making wild gesturing, trying to explain through his panic. Angel's heart thumped loudly in her chest, Chipmunk repeatedly jabbed at the ice, miming falling though. Angel yanked off her boots, she grabbed the scarf from the pool, tying one end to her wrist. She thrust the other end into Chipmunk's hand. Pulling all the kids over to hold onto it, it was thankfully a long scarf, one that could wrap around the neck more then once.

Taking a deep breathe for courage, she leapt into the pool, shuddering violently as the frigid water closed in around her. It was dark, the green glow of the night sky doing little to alight the murky depths. Angel drifted in a circle, peering into the darkness for any sign of the fallen child. A few feet below her she saw a dark shape, floating lifelessly. She kicked towards it, praying the scarf would be enough to guide her back to the hole.

It was the child, Angel wrapped her arms tightly around it, kicking slow and steadily back to the surface. The water was beyond cold, seeping into her bones as she struggled to get them both back. Her head broke the surface and she pushed the child upwards, grateful when something grabbed the lifeless body.

She needed to get herself up now, the cold had stolen into her lungs. She felt tired, her limbs heavy. Angel kicked and fought, hands scrambling against the slippery ice. She couldn't do it, she lost her grip on the edge, plunging back under. _This is not how a thought it would end._ She thought bitterly, sinking into the icy depths.

A strong grip tightened around her arm, pulling her head above the surface once more. Angel gulped down lungfulls of precious air as someone heaved her up on the ice. Angel shivered violently, she felt like her blood had turned to ice beneath her skin. Her rescuer was a broad shouldered, blonde man, his bright amber eyes sought hers, a question falling from his lips.

A shiver racked her again, she blinked sleepily at her rescuer, she was so tired, curling up and going to sleep right here on the ice sounded like a good plan. He shook her shoulders, Angel shot him an annoyed looked, _just let me sleep man._ He shook her again, eyes wide and urgent. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to her feet. Angel didn't want to get up, but he was very instant.

Whining to herself, Angel allowed herself to be guided off the ice and to the shore. Half the town had gathered on the icey banks, Chipmunk and the other children at the center. One child laid lifeless and unmoving. Seeing the colorlessly boy, lying in the snow was enough to make Angel forget how cold and tired she was. She stumbled forward on numb legs, falling awkwardly by the boy's side. Nobody was doing anything, everyone panicked and desperate without a clue of how to revieve him.

Angel was glad for the required CPR lessons at her school, she only hoped it wasn't to late. Of course she'd never actually done this before. _Okay first step, check for a heart beat? No make sure his tongue isn't blocking the air way._ She checked both, even though it was obvious the boy had no heart beat. She placed her hands in center of his chest, praying she was doing this right. She started the chest compressions, _one, two, three...._

That was as far as she got, someone grabbed her arms, pushing her away from the boy. One of the many soldiers around town, Angel yanked her arms free of his grasp, there was no time to try and explain. She surged toward the boy again, _…four, five, six._ A sharp slap across the face sent her sprawling backwards. The man drew his sword, aiming it at her throat. Angel looked around, desperate for someone to understand. Chipmunk and the other children were huddied together crying. A bunch of people had gathered but none she recognized, her blonde rescuer was no where in sight either.

Every second counted, Angel grabbed the blade at her throat, her right hand protected by the bandages of her previous injury. She jerked the sword out of the man's grasp, the element of surprise on her side, she tossed it to the side, not careing where it landed. She scambled to the boy's side. Angel fully expected to be shoved away again, but a new pair of boots showed up to stop the soldier. She didn't spare the time to see who it was, focusing all of her attention on the boy.

 _Come on, come on, please!_ Angel pleaded silently, breathing into the boy's mouth. Her fourth set of chest compressions, Angel began to despair, it wasn't working. The boy's chest heaved, his lungs finally drawing in air. Relief warmed her cold limbs, Angel pressed her fingers to his throat, checking his pulse was steady.

The boy's eyelids fluttered, a women shoved her way forward, tears streaming from her eyes. She wrapped the barely conscience boy in her arms, her relief nearly a feeling. She looked at Angel, speaking rapidly, tears flowing freely. The boy's mother, Angel assumed. Charming knelt beside her, he was the one who had let her work Angel realized.

Everyone was staring at her with disbelief, except Charming he was grinning from ear to ear. The crowd parted for Angel's blonde rescuer and a man in dark blue robes. They were surprised to see the boy alive in his mother's arms. Charming began talking with plenty of gestures toward Angel, she assumed he was telling what happened. The blonde man listened, squinting at Angel suspiciously, until Charming gleefully tattled on the man who struck her. Her blonde rescuer turned a ferious glare on him, Angel cringed in sympathy.

The boy's mother pulled Angel into a tight embrace, sobbing against her shoulder. Angel patted the woman's back, comforting. She watched the blue robed man tending to the child, and wonders of all wonders, his hands glowed as he healed the boy's bruised chest. _There is magic in this world._

Angel shivered, her wet clothes clinging to her body. Charming pried her away from the grateful mother, escorting her away from the flabberghasted crowd and back to the bar. He stoked the fire for her, stepping out to let her change. Angel dressed in dry clothes as fast as she could, sitting as close to the fire as she dared.

Charming tapped her shoulder, sitting down beside her with a look of peer delight. He handed her a piece of paper, ink still wet. Angel pressed her lips together, she started to shake her head, telling him she couldn't read. Angel gasped, eyes flying to Charming's pleased smile and then back to the paper. It was written in perfect English, it read. _Your from another world too? I thought I was the only one._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry for the long update period. I have been hestitant to post this chapter and I want to give a little disclaimer.  
> I started writing this story in July 2019, I had the first ten chapters written before I posted the first chapter. This story is in no way related to or inspired by real world events.  
> I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Thank you all for reading and commenting!

Charming's name was Joshua Wentworth from Yorkshire. His story wasn't too different from Angel's. Four years ago Josh had been out in the woods with his pals, initiating their new room mate – Angel assumed that was some sort of hazing ritual – when a bright white light had enveloped Josh. He found himself in a foreign city in the middle of a war. Josh had recongized the city as Kirkwall from the Dragon Age games he played. The Veil had been sundered during the Mage Rebellion, reaching out to his world and pulling him here. That's what Josh assumed anyway.

Angel still couldn't believe the words written in drying ink before her. She sat cross legged by the fire, a thick warm blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Charming – Josh – sat beside her scribbling away in a leather notebook as he tried to give her brief history of the Dragon Age games and world. Angel was struggling, torn between emotions. She had no words to discribe how relieved she was not to be alone anymore. At the same time she couldn't wrap her head around it all. How was it possible for two people to suddenly be _inside_ a _story_? She was revisiting the 'might be crazy' theory.

Angel snuggled deeper into the blanket, grateful Josh had brought it for her. She was still freezing from her dip in the lake, her bones felt iced over. The blisters on her hand were smarting sharply too, when Angel had grabbed the sword from the soldier it had been sharper than she realized. Cutting through her bandages and opening the fresh wound. She cleaned it best she could, rewrapping it in fresh linen bandage.

She saved a little boy's life. A growing sense of pride blossomed in her chest, Angel smiled to herself, tossing fresh kindling into the fire. Maybe she shouldn't be feeling so proud of herself but she really couldn't help it. Angel yawned, eyes drooped, she shook herself, trying to stay awake. The adrenaline and excitement had worn off and left her feeling exhausted. Sleep was good, inviting even. _Flashes of red crystals behind her eyelids, dark whispers from the shadows called to her. Something ancient and evil reached its claws toward her..._

Angel jerked awake, sending the dream scattering. Josh nudged her shoulder, a mildly concerned look tempering his eager grin. Angel shivered, those dark whispers crawled down her spine, she felt like _something_ was watching her. Over active imagination. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, taking the notebook from Josh when he offered. She squinted at the scrawled ink, most of the writing smudged from him being to impatient to dry it properly.

She flipped through it reading about darkspawn, blights, archdemons and Grey Wardens and a brief summary of the first Dargon Age game. About the fall of the Tevinter Imperium, Andraste and the Maker, the Chantry, the Circles of Magi and the Templar Order. It was fascinating to read about, though Josh was only giving her the basics. He told her about the events leading to the mage rebellion and what the Conclave had been hoping to accomplish, when the Breach – that's what he called the green storm – destroyed the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

This town, Haven, was being used as a base for something called the Inquisition. Angel almost laughed out loud at the name, it brought to mind silly jokes. It was a fitting name, she thought, hopefully it didn't become as bloody and tyrannical as her world's counterpart. For now the Inquisition was focused on closing the Breach, and discovering who was responsible for it.

Angel had plenty of questions, first what was the Breach? She wrote her question in the notebook, spilling ink on the paper. It took her three tries to write with the quill, accidently smearing the ink across the page. Josh had to show her how to hold the quill and apply just the right amount of pressure to it. Angel scrowled at the black smudges on her fingers, everything in this world seemed specifically designed to make her feel stupid.

Josh wrote out an explaination of the Fade, the Veil, Demons, Spirits and magic. Angel understood all that, it was common enough in stories for a 'spirit world' to exist along side the real world. What Angel could not understand was its correlation to dreams, and how dwarves weren't connected to it and couldn't dream. And Tranquil, that made no sense to her whatsoever. She never heard of a disorder or disease that could take away someones emotions, not in the way Josh described it anyway.

Her internal clock was telling her it was time to start the day. Yawning, Angel grabbed the bucket and headed down to the lake to get the water for the bread dough. Her stomach rolled, nausation from the movement, Angel hoped she wasn't coming down with something. She waited in line to get the water, looking up at the storm. Knowing what it was made it no less strange, there was a world on the other side, but it wasn't her world. Josh had been here for four years, she wondered if he had not tried to get back in all that time. What if there really was no way back? Angel pushed that thought away, no use worrying about it until she had more information.

Sweetie was in the kitchen when Angel got back, listening to Josh talk with wide eyes. She turned to Angel, pure admiration shining on her face. _Oh, frig._ Angel narrowed her eyes at Josh, what story was he spinning? Sweetie took the bucket from Angel and shooed her out of the way. Angel tried to help, she wanted to get back to her routine of bread making but Sweetie was having none of it. She gentle guided Angel to a seat, serving her a glass of fresh milk and fried apple slices with sugar sprinkled on top.

Josh grinned impishly, mouthing _you're welcome_ on his way out of the bar. Angel wasn't going to turn down a sweet treat, she popped an apple slice in her mouth, savoring her first sweet food since coming here. She gulped down the apples, the milk was an aquired tasted, it was nothing like the cow's milk she bought from the store. She drank it all anyway, grateful for the gift Sweetie gave her. She should probably ask Josh what Sweetie's name was.

Chipmunk and his friends burst into the bar, guided by the mother of the boy she saved. Mother's eyes glistened with tears as she tackled Angel in a bear hug. She presented Angel with a thick coat, it was made of a dark blue leather, the inside lined with grey fur. It was long enough to reach her ankles, with a hood to draw up. It was a nice coat, and very warm, Angel slipped it on at the mother's insistance. She hugged the woman back, accepting the gift only because she really wanted it.

Chipmunk trailed after her as Angel started work, she was pretty sure he was telling every customer who came in about her. He would make grand gestures, while his audience shot her surprised and respectful looks. Angel took over the bread making for Sweetie, trying to pretend her nausous stomach and feverish chills was caused by a lack of sleep. By noon Angel was drowning in unwanted attention. She ignorned everything outside the kitchen, glad for the tiny, solitary room. She stifled a yawn, her sleepless night catching up to her quickly.

While washing the dishes, Angel composed a mental list of questions to ask Josh. Most focused on how to get home. Venturing out into the dining room to collect the plates and dishes from the customers was trying on her nerves, everyone wanted her attention. Slaps on the backs and smiles and prefuse thanks followed her around the small room. Angel plastered a smile on her face, trying to pretend these same people hadn't ignored her for weeks.

She carried the dishes back to the kitchen, plopping them down on the counter with more force than necessary. Where were all these new friends of hers when she was sinking in misery and lonliness? Why was a girl who jumped into a frozen lake worthy of attention but a deaf dishwasher was not? Angel glared at the plate she was scrubbing, it was silly to be angry, that was just the way of the world. The way of _all_ worlds, apparently.

She stopped scrubbing, her injuried fingers stung from her vigorious dish washing. Grimacing Angel carefully unwound the bandage, she'd accidently popped a couple of the blisters. Sighing she cleaned, dried and once again wrapped the wound. It was never going to heal if she kept aggreviating it like this. Maybe Josh could get her some of those healing potions to speed up the proccess. She added that to her ever growing list of questions. Maybe she should ask for the rest of the day off, Angel was starting to feel like she'd have to die to feel better.

One of the kids from the lake strutted in, chest puffed up with a self important air. He made a fanciful bow, producing a piece of paper with a flourish. Angel smiled at his antics, eagrily taking the message. Josh's handwriting was easy to recongize, _Flora, the mother of the boy you saved, has been asking all over Haven if any mages can heal you. Not many of the mages in town are healers, but one of the templars told me of a spirit healer near the crossroads. Ellendra isn't with the rebellion, she might be able to fix your hearing. Working on contacting. her See ya tonight._

Angel almost squealed with excitement, she read the note twice more to make sure she hadn't misunderstood. She was going to hear again! She hadn't even asked and Josh had taken the time to look for her. The kid was watching her, eyes wide with curiousity. She grinned at him, not feeling ashamed of her foolish joy. It was funny how the smallest thing could make her go from annoyed to excited in a few seconds. The boy looked at her like she had grown a second head, playfully backing out of the kitchen and running away.

Angel euthisatically waited for night fall, she was still annoyed with the attention but at least she had something to look forward to. She dished out stew, filling bowl after bowl as the customers poured in for dinner. Her fingers burned, sending shoots of pain up her arm. Angel endured it, wondering what in the world those red crystal were, and why one little touch was causing her so much pain. Josh might know.

The more Angel thought about a healer who could fix her, the more excited she got. And the more her stomach seemed to hurt. She shivered, feeling like she'd jumped into the lake all over again. Her head was pounding, growing heavy and numb. Groaning, Angel gulped multiply cups of water, trying to drown her insatiable thirst. _Perfect time to get sick_. Angel wondered if she should worry about bringing a new virus to this world. If history taught humans anything it was, don't go to new lands with a sick crew member.

Sweetie gave her a concerned look, pressing a hand to Angel's forehead. Her face pinched up in a frown, once again guiding Angel away from work. Angel didn't protest this time, she needed sleep. She laid down on the floor before the fire, snuggling deep into her new, wonderfully thick blanket. Sweetie fixed her some tea, disappearing for a little while, she came back with a familiar brown liquid in a glass bottle. Angel gulped down the bitter healing juice, sitting up to sip at her tea.

She hummed to herself, letting her eyes fall shut. Once she was suffiecently warmed up, she just needed a bit of sleep. It was probably a little cold from jumping into the frozen water and not getting any sleep last night. Someone tapped her shoulder lightly, Angel was proud of herself for not freaking out this time. She was too tired to react to anything, the tea had a beautiful numbing effect on her.

Josh sat beside her, handing her a note. _Flissa says your sick? Can I help?_

 _Flissa_? She pointed over her shoulder to Sweetie, then to the name. Josh grinned and nodded, producing a quill and ink pot to write, giving her a chance to ask questions. Angel had at least fifty of them, but at the moment all she wanted was to sleep. She did have one question she wrote down, _**what is that magical healing juice and why hasn't it healed my hearing?**_

 _Elfroot potions. It can't heal everything, usually only minor scrapes and bruises, or colds._ Well that explained some things, Angel finished her tea, setting the cup aside. She curled into a ball, her head on Josh's lap. She sighed contented for the moment, it was nice not to be alone anymore. Even if this Ellendra couldn't heal her, she was thankful to finally have a friend. Angel let her eyes drift close, the warmth of the fire and the tea pulling her into the welcoming arms of sleep. The red crystals from the ruins flashed in her mind, a shadowy figure whispering things to her. Angel tried to wake up, to run away and leave that dark thing behind. She couldn't move, she was floating weightless in red water.

The shadows called to her, begged her to come closer, whispering words in a language long dead. Evil, vile things that should never see the light crept from the shadows. Flashes of teeth and glowing eyes, claws stained with blood. Angel screamed, struggling against the current that kept her still, she wanted _away._ The scent of blood filled the air, a dark mass writhed in the shadows. One dark figure rose above the rest, promising her things, granting every wish if she would give herself to it.

She was trapped, pinned by its ancient and all knowing gaze. She was crying and pleading, for what Angel was not sure. It was inside her, burning red and bright through her, taking _her_ away and replacing the empty space with _it_. Blackened wings spread out behind it, _behind her_ , they took flight, screeching out commands to the things hiding in the shadows. Their only thought was to get out, to be free, to get revenge.

Angel woke screaming in pain, her hand was on fire. Blind with panic she yanked at the bandage, ripping it to shreds. The world stopped spinning. She stared at her hand, her brain telling her eyes they were seeing wrong. Beside her, Josh's face showed the horror and disbelief Angel felt. Two of her fingers – the index and middle finger – were glowing bright, angry red. The skin as hard and shiny as diamond.


	5. Chapter 5

Angel didn't think she'd ever feel warm again, some part of her mind wondered if she only dreamed someone pulled her out of the frozen lake. If not for the feeling of the thin cot below her, or the scratchy blanket pulled over her head, Angel would believe she was still drifting in the frozen dark water. There was movement around her, things going on she ignored, as she huddled under her blanket. The _thing_ was out there too, Angel knew if she peeked her head out from under the covers for a second it would find her. She slept, waking only when hands sat her up, forcing liquid down her throat. She slept for days, or hours, or possible years, it was all the same to her. Angel heard things, sometimes whispered voices, but mostly a high pitched ringing. That's how she knew she was still dreaming. She clamped her hands over her ears and screamed, praying she would wake up from this eternal nightmare.

The ringing grew louder and more insistent, her mind becoming clearer the longer she listened to it. She couldn't hear anything besides the ringing, not even her own breathing which should be loud as a thunder clap, buried under the blanket like she was. Fighting to keep down the rising hope in her chest, Angel lifted her hand to her ear to test if she could hear the snap of fingers. Her thumb met air, brushing against the tip of a thick bandage. Angel threw the blanket aside, letting in dim light. _No, no, no, no_! They were gone, her first two fingers were gone, chopped all the way down to the knuckle. Her stomach revolted at the sight of the missing fingers. Angel rolled off the cot, vomiting on to the dirt floor. She knelt on the ground beside her own sick, trying to remember how to breathe. That was her dominate hand, how would she hold a pencil or fork? Or type on a keyboard, use a mouse, a controller? Things that weren't here, in this hellhole of a world. 

She was vaguely aware of someone touching her arm, gently pulling her to her feet, guiding her to sit on the cot. She couldn't breathe, her lungs seemed to have forgotten how to hold air. A soothing hand rubbed her her back, Angel tried to focus on that sensation, to ground herself to reality. Not that she had an _effing clue_ what reality was anymore. Stuff like this didn't happen. So why in the bloody hell was it happening to her? It was hours or maybe minutes before Angel could breathe. She didn't open her eyes until she was sure she wasn't going to freak out again. She knew the woman beside her, it was the one who had given her the coat. _What was her name, Flora_? Flora handed her a cup of water, Angel drank it slowly, letting the cool liquid wash the taste out of her mouth. 

Gathering her wits about her, Angel noticed Flora's son was being tended to by a couple of mages and Charles. The boy's chest heaved with the effort of breathing, each breath of air more laborious than the last. Angel stood, swaying unsteadily on her feet. Flora caught her arm and helped her to the boy's bed, three cots down from her own. Angel sat heavily on the edge of the cot, the short trip winding her. She wondered when was the last time she ate. He stared up at her with large, tired brown eyes. He looked like an old stuffed bear in dire need of some love. The female mage had to stop her spellcasting to allow little Teddy to roll over and cough.

A violent coughing fit that brought up blood. Angel clamped a hand over her mouth, keeping in any shocked noises that might further scare the boy. Teddy collapsed back into his pillows, tears running down his cheeks. His breathing more labored, if that were possible. Angel couldn't hear over the annoying ringing in her ears, if she could, she suspected she would hear a raspy wheeze from the boy. He'd fallen into the lake, maybe he'd gotten sick from that. Angel pushed her hair back, thinking hard. A full bowl of water sat on the nightstand, used for washing she assumed. Angel tapped the young mage's shoulder, he was nice looking boy a few years younger than herself. She gestured to the water, miming burning her hand when she touched the water. His brow knit together in confusion, he conjured a small flame in his hand. 

_Yes_! Angel nodded enthusiastically, pointing at the water. Still confused, the young man heated the water to a rolling boil. Angel rearranged Teddy's pillows, propping him up. The female mage understood what she was doing, collecting more pillows and a clean towel. Angel put a pillow into Teddy's lap, carefully balancing the bowl of steaming water on it. The mage instructed Teddy to lean over the bowl, breathing in the steam. She draped the towel over his head, ensuring the boy breathed in as much steam as possible. The mage assessed Angel, inspecting her like a rare but ugly piece of art. Angel might have been uncomfortable with being studied, if she weren't so tired. Getting Teddy situated drained the last of her energy. She tumbled into the bed next to Teddy's, just thinking about going all the way back to her's was exhausting. She laid on her side, rubbing the stumps of her fingers, and hoping the ringing in her ears was a good sign. She couldn't quite ignore the feeling something bad was going to happen. Something else bad.

The female mage woke her early the next morning, insisting Angel try to eat something. She poked at the grey goop she was served, willing it to turn into Flissa's scrambled eggs and smoked ham. No such luck, looks like Angel had not been granted magical powers in this new world. The two mages looked as tired as she felt, she wondered if they had been up all night, tending to Teddy. The lady mage sat down beside Angel and forced her to eat a couple bites, it tasted as repulsive as it looked. McGonagall was a good name for the mage, she was only in her early thirties but had that stern scowl teachers so often bore. Angel ate half the bowl before pushing it away, anymore of that and she was going to be sick again.

McGonagall rolled her eyes but let it slide, raising her hands to either side of Angel's head, hands glowing with magic. Angel tensed, surprised to feel a wave of warmth brush against her skin. It went inside her, defrosting her iced over blood. McGonagall closed her eyes, brows pinched in concentration. Angel held her breath as the magic flooded over her, anticipation making her stomach flitter. She held perfectly still, hoping the mage was healing her damaged ears. A half hour ticked past, Angel clung to that little bit of hope in her chest, p _lease, please, please,_ she begged silently. Her ears popped, the annoying ringing replaced with a soft humming. The mage lowered her hands, Angel _heard_ the rustling of fabric, her own woosh of breath as she gasped. Just to be extra, extra sure, Angel clapped her hands, laughing out loud at the dull thud. She couldn't believe, part of her expected to wake up from a horrifyingly vivid dream.

“Einai kalytero afto??” The mage asked.

“ _FUCK_!” Angel face planted into her open palms. _Stupid, stupid_! She forgot about them speaking a different language. “Do you speak my language?” She peeked between her fingers at the confused frown. The mage asked something, tilting her head to the side. Angel sighed, couldn't just one damn thing in this world be simple!? What was going to happen next? More lava monsters? Some evil dark lord was going to attack Haven and cause her further bodily harm? _Fuckity, fuck, fuck_! She was done with this place, _one thousand perc_ _ent done_ with it all! Ignoring the confused chattering of the mages, Angel yanked the blanket back over her head. Maybe if she didn't look at it, it would disappear.

She listened to the voices and Teddy's coughing, wondering if hearing again was worth it. She stayed under the blanket half fuming, half pouting at her unfortunate luck. She was keenly aware of the noises going on around her, after so long without sound everything was so loud. Teddy's horrible wheezing made her cringe with each shuttering intake of air. _The poor kid_.

Feet shuffled to a stop by her cot, a smooth baritone voice reached her ears. “Hiding from your troubles?”

“Charming?” She peeked out from under the blanket, relieved to see her friend.

“Charming?” Josh repeated shooting a crooked grin at her.

Angel shifted her feet so he could sit. “I gave you a nickname.” They were the only two in the infirmary, besides a sleeping Teddy. 

“Charming, huh?” Josh pondered the name. “I like it.” 

Silence stretched between them, neither familiar with the dynamic of talking. Angel sat up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. “So.... would you like to tell me what the fuck is going on?” She punctuated her point by holding up her three fingered hand.

Josh quirked an eyebrow at her tone. “I could ask the same. Where did you find red lyrium?”

“Lyrium?” Angel shoved her hair out of her eyes. Were those red crystals lyrium? “You said lyrium is blue.”

“The regular kind is. The red stuff is bad, makes people go crazy... and well...” _Grows on people_ , he didn't need to say.

“Well that would have been helpful to know _before_ I touched it!” Her voice rose two octaves. Of course it wasn't Charming's fault, she'd stupidly touched the crystals before she known about lyrium or him. She couldn't breath again, her lungs seemed to think they didn't need air today. 

“Hey, its alright.” Charming hesitated only a second before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Deep breathes, yeah?”

Angel nodded, closing her eyes, focusing on just breathing until her lungs remembered how to work again. “Sorry.” She said sheepishly.

Charming shrugged, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “I don't know if you notice....” He glanced over his shoulder, lowering his voice to whisper. “...I think we might be in a different world.” 

Angel stared at him, expression blank.

“Too soon?” He asked.

 _Oh, that was a joke_. She tried to smile, the attempt was halfhearted. “Sorry.” She apologized again, rubbing at an oncoming headache.

“It can be overwhelming, I know.” Charming's eyes were full of understanding. “This might help.” He handed her his worn notebook. “I wrote out the basics of Common. It's easy to learn.”

She gingerly accepted the book, “You had to learn all on your own.” She was a selfish prick, never once had it occurred to her Josh had gone through all of this by himself.

Charming waved away her concern, pushing himself to his feet. “Get some rest, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Angel tucked herself back under the blanket, opening the notebook. The first dozen pages were a strung together lexicon of Common, lists of words and pronunciation. She found a page with the alphabet, from there writing slowly transitioned from letters to the picture like runes of Common. She flipped through the rest of the notebook, it was mostly filled with charcoal drawings. Most were detailed scenery or portraits, there was more than a few of Sweetie. She stopped at the last drawing in the book, her breath catching in her throat. It was her. The portrait Angel's eyes were full of joy and light, her lips parted in wonder, hair caught up in an invisible wind. It was the most flattering image Angel had every seen of herself. When had Charming seen her looking like _that_?

She shook herself, quickly flipping back to the first page. Josh had given her the notebook to learn, not spy on his private drawings. She settled in, determined to pick up on a few new words before her next encounter with a Thedosion. _Homework_. She snorted at the thought. The sound of fabric ripping drew her attention to the corner of the tent, Angel watched with interest as a knife sliced a hole into the side. Chipmunk poked his head in a moment later, wiggling through the gap. Another little boy crawled in after him, this one held a finger to his lips, exaggerating his sneaky walk. Angel watched in amusement as the boys tiptoed to Teddy's side, rousing their friend from his sleep. She supposed there were worse thing than sneaking in to see a sick friend. She went back to her reading, half listening to the whispering of the children. 

“Paidia!”

The boys froze, Flora swept into the tent a bundle of blankets in her arms. “Ekei! Parchei astheneia edo!” The boy's scampered out, giggling as they ran. The woman glared at Angel, “Paidia menun ekei.” she added firmly. Angel didn't understand but she nodded anyway. 

***

  
She was probably starting to annoy McGonagall and Charles with her constant hovering. Angel wanted to know what all these plants were and how they helped Teddy and his newly sickened mother. It was also helpful to practice saying new words. She couldn't quiet tell what they thought of her, but Charles seemed happy to teach her about the various herbs they were using. It was difficult leaning with the language barrier but Charles was kind and patient with her. He taught Angel how to cut the roots off a green leafy stalk, draining the juice into a glass bottle. _Elfroot_ the plant was called, Angel practice saying the word out loud as she cut the juicy stems. Her and Charles repeated words back and forth to each other while they worked. Charles mobbed the sweat from his brow, sitting down to rest for a moment.

“...Are... you...?” Angel didn't know what the Common word for _okay_ was. The older man understood her question, he gave her a tired smile and nodded. Angel poured him a cup of water from the nearby pitcher, she hoped he wasn't getting sick too. She moved to Flora's bed, the kindly woman's brow was pinched, eyes roving under her eyelids as she dreamed. Her fever was high, almost as high as Teddy's. Angel re-wet the cloth pressed to Flora's forehead, smoothing away the woman's sweat dampened hair. The elfroot and spindleweed potions they were making for the sick patients didn't seem to be working. Angel could see the worry on McGonagall's face every time she came by to cast a healing spell over the sick woman and son. The illness was a mystery to the healers. 

Angel moved to Teddy's bedside, the boy had to have a near constant bowl of steam to breath in. Charles had built a little fire-pit just outside the infirmary. Angel heated up rocks in the fire, putting the hot rocks in Teddy's bowl of water every half hour. Her heart clenched every time she listened to his coughing, she was at her wits end of what might be wrong with him. She wished Charming would come by, he might have an explanation for her. She got the feeling visitors weren't allowed to come by anymore.   
Teddy looked up at her with tear filled brown eyes, a bit of pink tinged drool clung to his chin. Angel gave him an encouraging smile, lifting his chin to wipe the drool with her sleeve. A flash of color caught her eyes, Angel gasped, noticing the rash on his neck. It was like veins, red in color, creeping along his skin, disappearing down his shirt. Angel carefully ran a finger along the rash, surprise to feel heat radiating from the veins. She called Charles over, trying to stay calm for the little boy's sake. 

The old healer's face turned pale at the sight of the rash. “Elfroot poultice.” He instructed.

Angel hurried to assemble the poultice, waiting impatiently for it to heat. She snatched it from the fire with her bare hands, ignoring the burning. Charles wrapped it in a cloth, holding the poultice against Teddy's neck. “Theos eisai mazi mas.” The man murmured like a prayer.

Angel sat by Teddy's side, holding the frightened boy. She sang softly to him, wishing she could bring him some comfort. He was going to die. She could feel it in the shallow, wheezing breathes he took. _Unless_.... Unless she found a way home, she could take Teddy with her, doctors in her world could cure this. That is if the illness wasn't magical in nature, she frowned, could science cure a magic illness? Charming might know. _That's it_ , she thought, _I need answers_. Angel swapped out the rock in Teddy's water before she left, determined to find Josh and figure out how to get home, or at least ideas on how to cure the little boy.

She slipped out of the infirmary, blinking in the sunlight. Panic crawled up her spine, what if something else bad happened while she wandered through Haven? Angel almost abandoned her mission, half ducking back into the tent. She was being paranoid, it was illogical to assume she was going to encounter another problem just by stepping out for a few minutes. The emotional part of her mind wasn't convinced, her heart thumping loudly in her ears. She closed her eyes, taking a deep, calm breath. _Get it together Angel, you're being ridiculous_. Warily, she left the safety of the infirmary.

She jumped at every loud noise, flinched at every pulse of the Breach. By the time she got to Sweetie's Bar, her shoulders were painfully tense. Angel hesitated outside the tavern, giving herself a quick pep talk before pushing the creaky door open. Flissa gasped when she saw Angel, running over to engulf her in a hug. Angel melted into Sweetie's arms, tears springing to her eyes at the familiar sight and smells of the tavern. She would give what was left of her right hand to return to her days in the little kitchen, safe and hidden from disaster.

Flissa took Angel's still bandaged hand in hers, her own eyes filling with tears at the sight of the missing fingers. She pulled Angel to a nearby seat, disappearing into the kitchen without a word. She came back a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread, pouring a cup for Angel and herself. “Thank... you.” Angel smiled.

Flissa's eyes widened in surprise. “Boreis na akouseis?” 

“Yes.” Angel said slowly, certain the kind woman asked, _You can hear_? “Not...know... words good.” She nibbled at the bread, savoring the delicious food, she had missed Sweetie's cooking.

Flissa frowned slightly. “Ellendra eipe oti isoun lyrium prosthese?” It sounded like a question, Angel shrugged helplessly. Sweetie smiled sympathetically, reaching across the table to pat Angel's hand. “Eat.” She said. Angel understood that and was happy to follow instructions.

She ate and drank her fill before asked about Josh, Flissa called Chipmunk to go find the soldier for them. Angel listened to the minstrel while she waited, it was amazing, hearing the music. She vowed to never taking hearing for granted again. Chipmunk was back with Charming in a few moments, Flissa left them be, retreating back behind the counter. “How are you feeling?” The soldier asked sitting across from her.

“Better.” Angel shrugged. “I'm more concerned about Teddy, the sick boy. Do you know what's wrong with him? How can I make him better?”

Charming leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “It's nothing, don't worry about it.”

“It's not nothing.” Angel scowled. “He is having trouble breathing, and today he started getting this weird rash. And now Flora and Charles are getting sick too, and I'm worried its the same thing.”

Charming sighed, all traces of his usual humor gone. “You've had a hard enough time here, I am begging you to let this go.”

Angel could feel her panic rising again. She knew it, Teddy being sick was her fault somehow. “Please, I have to know.”

“He's infected with red lyrium.” Charming reluctantly admitted. “It's in his lungs and spreading fast.”

“In his.... because I...” Angel dropped her head into her hands, she did this. She was the first to get the red lyrium, and then she passed it to Teddy that night at the lake. She breathed into his lungs in an effort to save him. She'd been _proud_ of herself. How did rock become some sort of disease anyway? None of this was freaking possible! “I want to go home.” She mumbled, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. “Please tell me there is a way back.”

“I don't know.” Charming's tone was apologetic. “Honestly, I never wanted to go back.”

Angel raised her head enough to give him a look. “Why, in the fucking world, would you want to stay here?”

He grinned. “How many opportunities in the other place does a guy get to use a sword? Or battle ancient evils and be a part of an epic fantasy story?”

Angel snorted. “I like doing all that too. When it's on a screen. And from the safety of my home.”

“I promise it will get better.” Charming said with absolute certainty. “It's always a little overwhelming when we first slip though, but it gets easier.”

“I hope so.” Angel swiped at her tears. Goodness, knows she'd already hit rock bottom. "So how do I cure Teddy?"


End file.
